Korea Youth Panel Study Research Articles

The Influence of Stress on Juvenile Delinquency: Focusing on the Buffering Effects of Protective Factors among Korean Adolescents

ABSTRACTThe present study sought to examine self-control, parental support, and peer support as internal and external protective factors that buffer the influence of adolescent stress on delinquency among Korean adolescents. To this end, the paper utilized the 1st-year data from the Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS) conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute; the study surveyed a total of 3,449 2nd-year middle school students. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that despite high levels of stress, high self-control mitigated the negative influence of stress on delinquency in adolescents. In contrast, parental and peer support were only found to be directly influential on juvenile delinquency. Parental support had only negative influences on status delinquency, and peer support had positive influences on both status and serious delinquency. Based on these results, we propose implications for preventing and intervening with juvenile delinquency.

Longitudinal study shows that addictive Internet use during adolescence was associated with heavy drinking and smoking cigarettes in early adulthood.

Existing studies showing an association between substance use disorders and Internet addiction have been limited due their cross-sectional design. This longitudinal study investigated the association between addictive Internet use during adolescence and heavy drinking and cigarette smoking in early adulthood. We focused on middle school students from the Korea Youth Panel Study who were 15 in 2003:1804 who did not drink alcohol and 2277 who did not smoke. Multivariate logistic analysis investigated the relationships between Internet use at the age of 15, with regard to location, time spent and reason for use, and drinking and smoking at the age of 20. Using the Internet for chatting, games and adult websites at the age of 15 had a significant association with heavy drinking at the age of 20. The Internet café as the location for Internet use at the age of 15 was associated with smoking behaviour at the age of 20. This study confirmed significant associations between addictive use of the Internet at the age of 15 and heavy drinking and cigarette smoking at the age of 20. The findings demonstrated the negative effects of addictive Internet use, one of the biggest problems with adolescents.

A longitudinal study of victimization among South Korean youth: The integrative approach between lifestyle and control theory

Even though, studies on juvenile victimization have been ongoing for decades, longitudinal studies on the explanation of juvenile victimization have been under-researched.This study employed Latent Growth Modeling in order to identify a trajectory of juvenile victimization and to examine the association between parental attachment, juvenile offending, and juvenile victimization using longitudinal data from the Korea Youth Panel Study. Parental attachment demonstrated weak evidence of direct effect on the developmental trajectory of juvenile victimization during adolescence. However, there is meaningful evidence of indirect effects of changes in parental attachment on juvenile victimization through juvenile offending over time. Theoretical relevance and limitations are discussed.

Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Modeling of the Reciprocal Longitudinal Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Career Maturity

The purpose of the current research was to examine the reciprocal relationship among early adolescents between self-esteem and career maturity from the developmental/longitudinal perspective. Data from 1 to 4 (Grades 4–7) survey waves of the Korea Youth Panel Study, a longitudinal study of Korean youth organized by the National Youth Policy Institute and funded by the government of South Korea, were analyzed using autoregressive cross-lagged (ARCL) modeling. The results indicated (a) a positive autoregressive longitudinal relationship between career maturity and self-esteem over time, (b) no cross-lagged longitudinal relationship from career maturity to self-esteem over time, but a cross-lagged longitudinal relationship from self-esteem to career maturity over time, and (c) no gender difference in the ARCL model with self-esteem and career maturity. Findings hold implications for research and practice.

가족 기능과 융합형 심리적응 보호요인의 관한 연구

This study aims to verify the mechanism of mediated effects for protective factor among the relations of risk factor, protective factor and psychology adaptation under risky situation as functionally deficient family, and to identify the protective factors that protects adolescents with high psychology adaptation level. To achieve these goals, descriptive statistic analysis, regression analysis and logistic-regression analysis were conducted using the 5th year data of the Korea Youth Panel Study (Junior high panel) surveyed in 2008 by National Youth Policy Institute. The study results first shows that the psychology adaptation level of adolescents who experienced functionally deficient family varies depending their self-esteem and attachment to school friends. Second, it was found that there are mediated effects in the impacts of functionally deficient family on psychology adaptation. Therefore, in social work field, it is advisable to focus on the process to mitigate the risk factors or to strengthen protective factors rather than focus on the risk factors of adolescents. With this method, the negative perception of adolescents exposed to risk factors can be changed as well as the way of intervention for supporting them.

Effects of parental monitoring on aggressive behavior among youth in the United States and South Korea: A cross-national study

ObjectiveThis cross-national study examined the direct and indirect effects of parental monitoring on aggressive behavior among separate samples of 10th grade youth in the US (N=3784) and South Korea (N=3079). MethodsData from two national probability studies—Monitoring the Future (MTF) for US youth and Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS) for South Korean youth—were used. Both studies incorporated school-based, multi-stage, stratified, and randomized clustered sampling methods. ResultsPath analyses results indicated that while parental monitoring was directly and negatively related to aggressive behavior among US youth, it had no direct effect among South Korean youth. We also found significant indirect effects of parental monitoring on youth aggression through cigarette use, alcohol use, and self-esteem among both groups. Both US and South Korean youth who perceived increased monitoring from their parents reported less cigarette and alcohol use and higher self-esteem, which in turn reduced the likelihood of aggressive behavior. ConclusionsThis study serves as an example of conducting cross-national research using existing data to investigate significant issues related to youth well-being. Although there are cultural differences between US and South Korean youth, parental monitoring is still important in deterring both groups of youth from engaging in aggressive behavior.

Longitudinal Relationship between Overuse/Addictive Use of Mobile Phones and Depression in Adolescents: Adapting the Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Model and Multiple Group Analysis across Gender

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a temporal relationship would develop between the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones and depression in adolescents. For this study, we used the 4-year longitudinal data (2004-2007, Study 1, which measured the overuse of mobile phones and depression) and the 2-year longitudinal data (2010-2011, Study 2, which measured the addictive use of mobile phones and depression) of the Korea Youth Panel study. In addition, the study explored gender differences with respect to the above mentioned relationship. Autoregressive cross-lagged modeling was carried out, along with a multiple group analysis across genders. The findings showed that the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones and depression in adolescents had a significant effect on the future selves of these adolescents over time. Moreover, the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones had a significant influence on subsequent depression, rather than vice versa. This means that as the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones by adolescents increases, their depression intensifies later on; however, as depression among adolescents intensifies, the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones by adolescents’ does not increase. Further, the study showed there were significant gender differences in the longitudinal relationship between the overuse/addictive use of mobile phones and depression. Study 1 shows that, prior to the release of smartphones, the overuse of mobile phones had a definite effect on the depression of only males. However, Study 2 shows that, after the release of smartphones, the effect of the addictive use of mobile phones on depression in females was greater than that in males.

청소년기의 부모감독 변화에 대한 부모애착의 효과

The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) whether the level of parental monitoring changes during adolescence; (2) if it changes, what is the pattern of the change; and (3) whether the effects of adolescents' attachment to their parents on parental monitoring are dependent on time. Six waves of data fr om the Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS) were used to address the research questions. The participants of the KYPS were 3,449 (1,725 boys and 1,724 girls) adolescents who participated in the study once a year for 6 years (from the 2nd grade in middle school until their high school graduation). Latent growth modeling (LGM) was used to analyze the data. The findings are as follows: the level of parental monitoring significantly in-creased over the six waves of the study, and the adolescents' a ttachment to their parents was a time-dependent predictor of parental monitoring. The results indicate that the quality of adolescents’ attachment to their parents is an important factor that makes a difference in the level of parental monitoring by, possibly, affecting the level of adolescents’ disclosure to their parents.

Trajectory and Predictors of Early Adolescent Alcohol Use

The aim of this study was to identify the developmental trajectory and predictors of Korean early adolescents’ alcohol use. The sample comprised 2844 adolescents who participated in the five‐wave longitudinal Korea Youth Panel Study, in which students were assessed annually from grade 4 (aged 11 years) in 2004 to grade 8 (aged 15 years) in 2008. Latent growth curve (LGC) modeling was conducted and a quadratic (J‐shaped) LGC model was supported. Personality‐ and environment‐system predictors, based on problem‐behavior theory, were specified to account for variation in intra‐individual changes in alcohol use. Self‐control, depressive affect, parental abuse, number of drinking friends, and gender significantly predicted the initial level of alcohol use. Self‐control, depressive affect, parental abuse, peer attachment, gender, and family structure predicted the quadratic slope that was associated with the rate of acceleration of alcohol use. These findings suggest that more effort needs to be directed toward the implementation of alcohol prevention programs early in elementary schools and practitioners who are involved in effective alcohol‐prevention and intervention programs that are aimed at delaying the initiation of alcohol use and reducing drinking during adolescence should consider various psychosocial factors.

Temperament, parenting, and South Korean early adolescents’ physical aggression: A five-wave longitudinal analysis

Objective: This study examined the growth pattern in physical aggression over a five-year period among South Korean early adolescents and the effects of temperament (anger/frustration and emotion regulation) and parenting (harsh parenting and parental monitoring) on early adolescents’ physical aggression. Design: A five-year longitudinal design was used to explore the growth pattern in physical aggression. Method: Participants were 2844 early adolescents (1320 girls and 1524 boys; M age = 9.86 years, SD = 0.35 at wave 1) in the Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS), a national representative of Korean children and adolescents. The latent growth curve model (LGM) was used for data analysis. Results: There was a significant linear growth over time in physical aggression during early adolescence. However, there were significant individual differences of developmental trajectories of adolescent aggression. The initial level of aggression in early adolescence was positively associated with anger/frustration, and the rate of change in aggression was negatively related to emotion regulation. Parenting variables, which were harsh parenting and parental monitoring, were not related to the initial level and rate of change in physical aggression. Conclusion: Temperament variables (anger/frustration, emotion regulation) cause the individual differences in initial level of aggression and rate of change in aggression.

The Relationship Between Appearance-Related Stress and Internalizing Problems in South Korean Adolescent Girls

I examined the relationship between appearance-related stress and internalizing problems in adolescent girls in South Korea. A total of 1,320 girls who were beginning Grade 4 (M age = 9.8) were assessed annually for 5 years. I conducted an analysis using a cross-lagged autoregressive model and 5 waves of longitudinal data from the Korea Youth Panel Study carried out by the National Youth Policy Institute (2008), a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents. Appearance-related stress experienced during Grade 5 was found to cause problems of internalization in Grade 6, and problems of internalization in Grades 6 and 7 was found to induce appearance-related stress in Grades 7 and 8 (M age = 13.8), respectively. The social pressure that young women in South Korea face to maintain a certain type of appearance is discussed in a cultural context.

Youth Employment, Income, and Smoking Initiation: Results From Korean Panel Data

To estimate the effect of youth employment and income on smoking initiation, this study tests whether youth with higher incomes from either employment or allowance are more likely to smoke, and, if so, whether it is the employment effect or the income effect that affects youth smoking initiation. Data from the 2003-2007 Korea Youth Panel Study were used to estimate the effect of youth employment and income on smoking initiation. A fixed-effects linear probability model was estimated to control for unobserved individual heterogeneity, which may affect both youth employment/income and smoking initiation. Even after controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity, youth employment raised the probability of smoking initiation by 4.4% points, but neither employment income nor allowance was significantly associated with youth smoking initiation. Youth employment is an important risk factor for smoking initiation in South Korea, suggesting that workplaces that hire youth may be an appropriate target for antismoking interventions.

Self-esteem and delinquency in South Korean adolescents: Latent growth modeling

This study examined the inter-related development of self-esteem and delinquency across three years. Participants were 3449 Korean high school adolescents (age M = 15.8, SD = 0.42, 1725 boys, 1724 girls) from Korea Youth Panel Study (KYPS), in 2005–2007, nationally representative of Korean adolescents. Latent growth modeling was employed for analysis. Results showed that: 1) there were linear growth in self-esteem and delinquency. Moreover, there were significant individual differences in initial level of self-esteem and delinquency, and rate of change in self-esteem and delinquency; 2) the analyses of panel data did not support Kaplan's theory by showing that delinquency was negatively associated with growth in self-esteem among adolescents. Cultural implications are illustrated. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

Reciprocal influences between stress and internalizing problems in Korean adolescents: A cross‐lagged, longitudinal study

In the current four‐wave, longitudinal study, adolescent stress, internalizing problems, and the reciprocal influences of these variables were examined. Data were obtained from the Korea Youth Panel Study, which included 3188 (1594 male and 1594 female) middle‐ and high‐school students who enrolled in the study from 2004 to 2007. The mean participant age was 14.79 years in 2004. By using a cross‐lagged, autoregressive model, it was shown that stress levels and internalizing problems had reciprocal influences on one another over time (all four time points). At each of the time points, the effect sizes of stress on internalizing problems were significantly greater than those of internalizing problems on stress.

Smoking Behavior and Predictors of Smoking Initiation in Childhood and Early Adolescence

The purposes of this study were (a) to identify smoking behavior by following a cohort representative of the population of 4th grade elementary schoolers in South Korea over a four-year period (2004-2007), and (b) to explore predictors of smoking initiation among non-smokers in Wave 1. Secondary data, the Korea Youth Panel Study, was analyzed in this study. First, frequencies or percentages were calculated to identify smoking behavior (i.e., smoking initiation, smoking intensity, and smoking duration). Second, binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine significant factors related to smoking initiation. Smoking initiation and daily smoking were more pronounced when the participants entered middle school. In bivariate analysis, statistically significant predictors of smoking initiation were loneliness at school, self-control, delinquent behavior, depressive symptoms, and stress. However, after controlling for other factors, only a high level of risk-taking tendency and a greater number of delinquent behaviors remained statistically significant. Based on greater involvement in smoking among first-year middle schoolers, smoking prevention strategies should be provided to elementary schoolers rather than middle schoolers. A risk-taking tendency and delinquent behaviors should be considered as proxy measures to detect the high-risk group for smoking initiation.